Questions about message content
Questions about bulk messaging
Questions about sending messages
Questions about messaging limitations
Questions about tracking sent messages
Questions about message content
How do I update quick load templates?
You can update your pre-written templates or quick load messages in Settings. From Settings, click on the Templates tab.
Then, click on the arrows to expand existing template categories. Click on the three-dot menu next to the template you want to adjust and select Edit.
Make changes to the template category, internal name (the display name for the template), written content, and placeholders.
Can I add an image to my text message template?
You cannot add images to your pre-built text message templates. However, if you are texting with a patient in Patient Chat, you can add an image and/or emoji to your message. In the Patient Chat messaging window, click on the image or emoji icon:
Can I change the treatment plan template?
Treatment plan templates cannot be changed. You can choose which details of the treatment plan that you'd like to display, but each treatment plan will need to be customized prior to being sent to a patient.
Questions about bulk messaging
How do I send a message to all patients at once?
To send a message to all patients, we highly recommend you utilize Email Campaigns. You can send up to 15,000 emails per campaign per hour in Engagement. If you have more than 15,000 patients in your system, all additional patients remaining on the recipient list after the first segment is sent will be queued and sent the next hour until completion.
As a reminder, Engagement will ignore certain targeted patients from receiving messages if they fall into any of these categories:
Patient is inactive
Patient is from another clinic
Patient does not have an email/phone number
Patient is opted out of messaging
Patient has the same email as another patient
Engagement will only send one message per family group. This is usually the guarantor that will receive the campaign message.
Bulk direct messages should only be used to send important office updates to impacted patients and are limited to 250 patients per hour. Sending mass text messages runs the risk of the number being flagged as marketing/spam by carriers and not being able to communicate with patients via text.
If your filtered list exceeds 250 patients, all additional patients remaining on the list will be sent out in 250-count segments every hour until completion (Note: queued message segments will not be sent during default quiet hours).
How do I send a message to all patients coming in today?
If you need to get in contact with all patients coming in for an appointment today, you can quickly filter a list from the Patients dashboard. This is great for emergencies in the office such as severe whether, power outages, or unexpected staff absences.
From the Patients dashboard in Engagement, click on the Future visit column.
From the dropdown menu, click Date, then click Today. Patients shown here are all patients that have a future appointment scheduled today.
Send them all a message by clicking on the checkbox next to Bulk Actions to select all. Then click Bulk Actions and choose your message type.
Why does my bulk message show as pending?
If you notice that the details of your bulk message is showing an orange hourglass icon beside it, the message has not yet been sent and is currently pending. This means the message has been sent by our system to the queue, but has not yet been processed.
If the bulk message is still showing as pending after 30 minutes of being sent, please reach out to Dental Intelligence Support for assistance.
Questions about sending messages
How do I send a message to a patient who isn't in the system yet?
To send a message to a patient who isn't in your practice management software yet, you need to first create an unlinked patient in Engagement. The unlinked patient details must include a phone number or email address.
What phone number is shown to patients when they receive a text from Engagement?
By default, Engagement uses a verified toll-free number for all communication sent to patients. The majority of practices use the Engagement provided number to ensure a more seamless experience. The reason we use a toll-free number is due to the verification process that prevents most false-positive blocking so that your patients receive your messages. You can find your verified toll-free number in Engagement Settings > Practice Setup > Practice Info in the SMS phone number field.
Having a verified toll-free number drastically reduces the number of false-positive blocks that may occur. Blocks on the verified toll-free number require intervention from our Support Team to resolve and take between 2-4 business days to resolve.
Can I change my SMS texting number to my office phone number?
Yes, however, if you choose to port your practice phone number for texting purposes, the Engagement toll-free 855 number will still be used for bulk messaging and automatic messaging.
Questions about messaging limitations
How many messages can I send at once?
Engagement has set limits for messages that are sent in bulk:
Direct messages (text and email): 250 per hour for bulk messaging
Email Campaigns: 15,000 per campaign for bulk messaging
Bulk direct messages should only be used to send important office updates to impacted patients. Sending mass text messages runs the risk of the number being flagged as marketing/spam by carriers and not being able to communicate with patients via text.
If your filtered list exceeds 250 patients, all additional patients remaining on the list will be sent out in 250-count segments every hour until completion (Note: queued message segments will not be sent during default quiet hours).
Questions about tracking sent messages
Am I notified when patients opt out of receiving my texts?
If a patient has been opted out manually in Engagement by a staff member or by replying STOP to a text message (or any other form of communication), you are not notified. There is currently no way to generate a list of patients that have opted out of communications.
Where can I find messages that have been sent out or are scheduled to be sent out?
You can find records of previously sent and/or scheduled messages in a few places:
If your patients receive a direct message automatically (ie, an appointment reminder), you can track it in the Automatic tab of your Communication dashboard. Click here to learn more.
The Manual tab in the Communication dashboard of Engagement includes all actions sent to patients manually: direct messages, bulk messages, manual reminders, Modento App invites, review requests, invitations to schedule, etc. Click here to learn more.
Scheduled messages can be found in the Scheduled tab of the Communication dashboard. Click here to learn more about Scheduled messages.
Email campaigns are shown in the Campaigns dashboard. Click here to learn more about tracking Email Campaigns.
You can also review patient communication history by opening their patient card:
To access the patient card either click on the patient's name, or click the three dot menu next to the patient's name
Select Patient Card
Click the Communication Log tab
This will show you all communications sent through Engagement
Why does my message show as undelivered/failed?
There are several different reasons that a message could have failed to be delivered. From the patient card Communication Log, hover over the red ! icon in the Status column. You will see a text box with an explanation to the specific cause of the failure and can take action from there to resolve it.
If your text messages are showing as undelivered/failed, check out our guide on common text message error codes and how to resolve them.